ABSTRACT
The Industrial Revolution in England created enormous wealth for entrepreneurs, especially the new mill owners in the north-west of the country. It was a period in British history that also saw immense social upheaval. With the advent of mechanized production, traditional cottage industries were no longer competitive. Consequently, people migrated from the rural villages to work in the new factories that were springing up in and around Manchester. Rapid urban expansion brought overcrowding, squalor and noxious smog. Working days were long, conditions were noisy and dangerous, and there were few workers’ rights.
